My point is that innocent men go to jail with alarming regularity due to the prejudices of the media, the police, the public, and the prosecutors.

I think of the poor schmo who was accused of lighting off the bomb at the '96 Olympics and Tom Brokaw and etc. said the guy was clearly guilty of it since he lived with his mom, worked as a security guard, was a failed police dept. applicant, and was white.

The guy was a HERO and if left to the the media, the police, the public, and the prosecutors he'd be in jail now. Fortunately, he had a damn good lawyer who drilled a hole a mile wide in the case against his client and it was only after repeated violations of court orders did the police stop hounding Richard Jewell.

I just do not trust lynch-mob justice and this case reeks of it. I don't care about Laci, the baby, and all the crying women on the street. The fact that this man did not get a fair trial based on solid evidence diminishes MY right and YOUR right to a fair trial based on solid evidence!

This doesn't mean I'm on his "side", I'm just concerned that if he is REALLY guilty then when this mockery gets tossed on appeal he'll NEVER be able to face a court again on these charges.

If it doesn't get tossed on appeal it means that prosecutors can cook up any line of crap as long as it pulls at the heartstrings of emotionally unstable women and they can make a case stick.

Not good.

208 posted on 11/30/2004 3:22:14 PM PST by PeterFinn
("Tolerance" means WE have to tolerate THEM, they can hate us all they want.)